If by any chance anyone has a general question about Terry Pratchett books and would like some help, ie identifying or numbers produced sort of thing im the bloke that could help, dunno if a seperate thread should be made for this or if its wanted but the offer is there.

Ah good one there, and i think it can be quite different for each book, for instance. Good omens , i know there was a proof copy with 4th adjusted text, so was there a 1st 2nd and 3rd, or a 5th for that matter, as ive never come across one in my travels i really cant answer that, after the 4th it will go to a proof/arc, now it depends on where you come from for it to be called what it is, USA is an ARC, UK is a proof, so in the case of good omens there were 2 different arc's produced in the USA and one proof in the UK so there's your answer.
Oh for the normal Discworld books, i know there are some 4th adjusted text proofs out there, which then lead on to the actual proof/arc, so the best way to look at it that normally there is only one proof produced per copy before the book is published.
I hope this helps

Oh i should add the 4th adjusted text copies normally never get out to the public, they normally stay with the writer or the publisher, and the fact that i have one dosnt come into it

No problem glad i can be of some help. Saying that one thing that really gets me and ive got to let slip is The last hero...... excellent book and a lovely ltd edition to own, but wait, ltd edition? yes as most people know there was a ltd edition of 2000, even says it on the Colin Smythe website, so it must be so, everyone lists them on ebay as 2000, but........ ITS NOT 2000 ITS 4000!!!!!! :shock: The 2000 sold out within the first day of release and who ever thoughtabout it, thought oh not enough lets produce some more, so they did, another 2000 exactly the same in every way but they forgot to rename then 1st edition 2nd printing, now i know this as i got it from the publishers mouth so to speak, cause i missed it on the first day and had to wait for the next lot to be printed which was several days later so i got one in the end, but it just peeves me that something as important as numbers printed was ommited, so there you are, now you all know. Ah that feels better getting that off my chest. Lets hope i dont upset the wrong people with that little bit of news.

A number of years ago, (98?) I was conversing with a couple of other Discworld fans (who obviously put a lot of work into their fandom and considered themselves the greatest in their field) and they were telling me how impossible it was to get hold of the illustrated version of Eric, how no end of searching even by them had succeeded on unearthing a copy. They were so put out when I told them I got mine simply by ordering the right ISBN from my local Waterstones.

Was I incredibly lucky, or they were they incredibly wrong? I've spent years idly wondering.

Jarmara wrote:A number of years ago, (98?) I was conversing with a couple of other Discworld fans (who obviously put a lot of work into their fandom and considered themselves the greatest in their field) and they were telling me how impossible it was to get hold of the illustrated version of Eric, how no end of searching even by them had succeeded on unearthing a copy. They were so put out when I told them I got mine simply by ordering the right ISBN from my local Waterstones.

Was I incredibly lucky, or they were they incredibly wrong? I've spent years idly wondering.

Well i reckon they were incredibly wrong, there were 50,500 copies of the paperback printed and only 4200 of the hardback printed, mind that was only 1st edition printings, as too how many other printings there were i have no idea, so jarmara, keep on typin the right ISBN, it helps

Oh "Ask Me About Books" do you know anything about the differences between the various forms of Thud!? Tony and I discovered, in the process of discussing the book on the other forum that in particular, there is a significant difference in one scene (where Vetinari is trying to forbid Vimes from going to Koom Valley) between the American ARC, the American Hardback & the British Hardback. I've never seen a proof of the British version, so I have no idea but rather assume it is the same as the Hardback.

You can see the difference all carefully written out in the thread from Terry's British Editor.

And do you know who was responsible for changing it to the form in the British Hardback, which I find much less interesting? If you haven't read this part-- in the ARC, Vimes says, something to the effect of "If you won't let me go..." and Vetinari says, "Yes, what will you do?" Vetnari is totally taken aback when Vimes responds, "Sybil will come and talk to you." And that's the end of his trying to stop him. Gives quite a different picture than the one that is in the British Hardback.